Shloka 15
भूमिगुण-प्रश्नः
Inquiry into the qualities of Earth and the classification of beings
वृक्षै: पुष्पफलोपेतै: सम्पन्नधनधान्यवान् । लवणेन समुद्रेण समनन््तात् परिवारित:
sañjaya uvāca | vṛkṣaiḥ puṣpaphalopetaiḥ sampannadhanadhānyavān | lavaṇena samudreṇa samantāt parivāritaḥ ||
قال سنجيا: تلك الأرض مزدانةٌ بأشجارٍ وافرةِ الأزهارِ والثمار، وهي غنيةٌ بالثروة والحبوب. ويحيط بها من كل جانبٍ البحرُ المالح—كأنها مملكةٌ مزدهرةٌ محكمةُ النظام، تعكس وفرةُ طبيعتها وحدودُها المأمونة مثالَ عالمٍ نامٍ تُقيمه الحُكمُ بالحقّ والانسجامُ مع الطبيعة.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents an idealized vision of a flourishing world: abundance of nature (flowers, fruits), material sufficiency (wealth and grain), and clear boundaries (encirclement by the ocean). In Mahābhārata’s ethical imagination, such prosperity is typically associated with order, stability, and the conditions that righteous governance (dharma-aligned rule) is meant to protect.
Sañjaya is describing the world/land in elevated, cosmographic terms—emphasizing its richness and completeness. This functions as descriptive framing within Bhīṣma Parva, setting a grand backdrop for the events of the Kurukṣetra war by recalling the vast, ordered world in which the conflict unfolds.